Merced area sees record rain New Year’s Eve with some flooding. More rain to come this week

The Merced region welcomed 2023 with wet weather, and the National Weather Service says residents should expect more later this week.

Forecasters say Merced received .86 inches of rain Saturday and .22 inches Friday, a total of 1.08 inches for this most recent rainstorm.

Saturday’s rain set a new Dec. 30 record for rainfall, according to NWS meteorologist David Spector.

Spector said Merced received 2.44 inches of rain total for the week, and 5.22 inches of rain for December. That’s compared to 3.8 inches of rain for December 2021.

Although the rain is definitely welcome, it is causing some headaches for Valley residents. High winds blew over trees and scattered vegetation in some areas of the Valley.

Caltrans reported Highway 59 from Reilly to Sandy Mush roads in Merced County remained closed due to flooding as of Sunday morning, with no expected time on reopening.

Elsewhere there were even bigger problems with flooding, particularly in Sacramento County, where rain closed a section of Highway 99 just south of Elk Grove.

Highway 99 is closed from Twin Cities Road to Mingo Road with no estimated time of reopening, Caltrans officials said. In the meantime, officials are directing drivers in the area to travel on Interstate 5.

On the upside, Caltrans reported Highway 120 to Yosemite National Park/Big Flat Road has been reopened, after being closed for days.

The Merced area is expected to see another storm to move into the region Wednesday and Thursday. Spector said that storm may bring up to an inch and a half of rain.

“It’s going to be a pretty wet storm,” Spector said.

It’s still too early to determine whether Mother Nature will put a significant dent in the Merced County drought. Only time will tell whether January and February will deliver bountiful levels of precipitation.

“It’s going to take a few more months like this to end the drought. This is a long term thing,” Spector said.

NWS estimates the Merced region received 8.06 inches of rain total in 2022, compared to 10.51 inches in 2021, Spector said.

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, Merced County is currently categorized as being under “extreme” drought conditions. That’s a level above “excessive” drought conditions, which is considered the worst.

Much of the San Joaquin Valley is currently under extreme drought conditions, with the exception of parts of Fresno, Kings, Tulare and Kern counties, where the drought is considered excessive.